Facebook is hosting an Android-oriented event next week and speculation is sure to run wild. Reports emerging today may shed some light on what we can expect come April 4th. According to the most recent chatter, Facebook will unveil a custom version of Android with a focus on the social network’s apps and experience.

Think of it like Facebook’s version of Amazon’s custom Kindle Fire UI. Based on Android, the new build will tie directly into a user’s Facebook profile, bringing interactions via the social network front and center. Facebook Messenger and a presumably Instagram-oriented camera will replace the stock Android implementations.

The new OS experience will launch on an HTC-made phone, likely the Myst of rumors past, but could eventually find its way to other hardware. The goal is to prioritize Facebook, bringing it from a secondary app experience to the forefront of a user’s mobile world. We’ll keep our ear to the ground as the date quickly approaches when Facebook will make their big announcements official.

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Lol, they can’t even make an Android app worth using, their OS is going to be horrible! But at least they will have total control over all your privacy needs, and we all know we can trust Facebook with that kind of stuff….

HellG

*Sarcasm overload!*

bluevoodo

“their OS is going to be horrible!” – WTF?

http://twitter.com/jccage Jaké Mourinho

OS? Erm.

Danny Nottis

When you fork don’t you cut your ties to the rest of the android world?

squiddy20

As I understand it, it only means your forked version won’t have access to Google’s apps and other proprietary software. No Gmail, Maps, Play Store, Google Sync, etc. The only thing you have access to is the barebones Android OS. (Anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong/mistaken)

chuckles87

I hope it runs as smoothly as their app oh wait I think we will have a winner for the word version of android

bluevoodo

*worst

Upier

Does anyone under 65 still use Facebook?

phinn

I lol’d, and agree.

http://twitter.com/Bear217 Bear

I do, because most of my friends haven’t figured out that Google+ is better for them! But then again, they also think the iPhone is the greatest thing since sliced bread and the styrofoam cooler. Haha

chuckles87

exactly that is the reason im still on facebook

patapongirl

It’s funny you’ve mentioned this coz I’ve realized that I stopped using it after graduating from college.

And I don’t even care if most of my friends are still using it

ari_free

Yes. Everyone who doesn’t reload phandroid every 10 minutes to check for the latest android news..

Frankie Abaddon

Facebook first build your Android app before getting into deeper waters. True definition of getting the cart ahead of the horse. Damn morons.

http://bit.ly/ardchoille42 Ian MacGregor

It will be Android with a heavily customized skin. HTC can’t fork Android. HTC is a member of the Open Handset Alliance, and as a member they had to agree that they wouldn’t fork Android nor would they work with any company that forks Android.

bluevoodo

Source?

vegiisan

Google open handset alliance, there’s your source, it’s common knowledge Android and its partners operate under this banner.

Pkmmte

Good point. I had forgotten about that.

Matthew Merrick

All that means is it can’t be a version of Android that’s DRASTICALLY different from the standard UX, doesn’t interfere with app compatibility, and has the play store/other GApps installed. As HTC, some other smaller OEMs, and even Samsung (multi-Window) have recently shown, that software can be pretty different from the “standard” UX while still getting Google’s stamp of approval.

afazel

Now that might be cool if this causes improvements to the Android app. I wonder if my wife would like this. She wants a new phone anyway, because she doesn’t really like the Note 2 I just got her.

lye

Facebook hates google so much they’re using their free open source code to make their software? This is confusing. I hope this turns into a google calling facebook out on privacy issues.

emajem_666i

She would take the Facebook phone over the note 2?! Whoa.

http://www.facebook.com/sarahsboy Kenneth Warner-Shook

Ali fazel: what company do you have

Hank S

“New Home on Android” sounds like a replacement home app…not a custom implementation of Android. A facebook home app designed around Facebook actually makes sense….a custom OS just to do that sounds like overkill.

http://twitter.com/WtrThs Wouter

It will more than likely consist of a home app. But to integrate instagram as the default camera app, and integrate everything into one global experience a custom version of the OS will have to be made.

Hank S

I’m usually too humble to gloat, but I had to come back and say “Told ya so!”

Also, you don’t need to a custom OS to integrate instagram *or* make it the default app. The home screen can launch whichever app it wants. And if you want all 3rd party apps to use a different camera, then the user can be prompted to select their default camera app.

Lastly, the HTC First doesn’t make me wrong since it doesn’t seem to be critical to the Facebook Home announcement.

Jordan Caviness

Meh.

xriderx66

PLEASE just make a damn working app.

dre2phresh

A Facebook OS will be BS

PuzzledObserver

FB Home screen? That must be a joke. Never this Sh.t will see a single bit on my phone.

ralphie

It won’t be a custom version of android. If it is HTC will be booted from OHA. It is probably a custom launcher.

Matthew Merrick

So… It’s a only slightly modified HTC One? I mean, look blinkfeed, zoe, ect. The one is a social media phone already, it won’t take much tweaking to make blinkfeed Facebook/instagram-only, replace Zoes with Vines, ect.

EDIT: looking at the purported specs, this looks like it’s going to be a One Mini / One S II, hardware-wise. Heck, they might even put a non-Facebook version of it out AS one of those

RichFromBX

Facebook wants to much access to your data already…how much more behind the scenes data collection for advertising are they going to be doing now…

jekyll919

Everybody commenting about how horrible the app is and how they “know” this custom version of Android will be terrible is stupid. You really think they would throw out news for this kind of press release without having a completely flawless app being used as the backbone of their new system? It’s common sense.

UniBroW

you can’t be serious, can you? Companies through out press releases all the time, press release does not equal successful product

No_Nickname90

*patiently waiting for Google+ to take over*

Aron Tripp

Wouldn’t they have been better served to just make a Launcher. A whole OS seems ridiculous.

InspectorGadget80

Going too unistall my fb app if their going too track our hole phone. so there’s not point in using it at all